Ok- now is FOCUS time. I am halfway through bootcamp, starting Week 7 and I know that I need to really step up and finish out camp strong if I want to meet my goals.
My birthday (week) is officially over now and I'm ready to work out really hard this week & clean up my eating and drinking. Because the thing I've realized- it is depressing to be off the wagon. Yes it's fun to enjoy a few days of not writing down everything I'm putting in my mouth & enjoying some great food, but it's really an even better feeling to step on the scale and see the number go down or to have your clothes feel loose.
So- my goal for the week is to stay under 1400 calories every single day (no excuses) and go to bootcamp 4x (instead of the usual 3). And now that it's in writing- I am accountable and I will let you all know next Monday if I meet my goal.
My trainer at Boot Camp talks a lot about "bad habits" and how important it is for you to break out of those patterns- for example if you always snack while you're making dinner becuase you're starving, or skipping breakfast, or eating in the car... I think my "bad habit" is making excuses for fun events in my life. It's almost like I think I can't enjoy an event (wedding, party, dinner out) without being able to eat & drink whatever I want. That's the mindset I need to break out of. Rather than aviod fun events I need to plan ahead and have a strategy to help me remind myself WHY events or occasions are fun (hint.. it's about the people & the activity, not the refreshments).
Tonight Chris is BBQing chicken- so we should be able to make some great salads & dinners this week. I'm also headed to Trader Joes after work so I should have some fun food & snack ideas to share tomorrow. Have a great one!
Chel
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Birthday Week is Totally a Valid Excuse :)
Yikes... I've gone all week without a blog! Well it has been my Birthday Week, so I'm going to use that as my excuse. I've got a few updates & a great low-cal snack reccomendation.
1. I had a no-calorie counting bday dinner last night. It was the BEST thing ever. Chris took me to Tractor Room where they are known for gigantic portions and food that I can best describe as upscale home cooking. We started with a cheese plate- that had great cheese, bread, honeycomb (random but incredible) oh it was so good with a nice glass of wine. Then we shared a bibb salad with BACON & BLUE CHEESE in it with a great roasted tomato vinagarette. Oh and it came with an entire skillet of fresh baked corn bread with honey glazed top and butter. I only had a few bites but it was to die for. For our entree we split a filet which even splitting we weren't able to finish! Red meat was pretty much the best thing ever- I had really been having cravings. As a side dish we ordered "Acorn Squash with Bacon Maple Butter" which we both agreed was probably the BEST thing either of us had ever eaten in our lives. No exaggeration! And of course the night was topped off by what our server told us was an extra large piece of dark chocolate cheesecake (just what I needed obviously!). Sharing everything was a great call and I think I satisfied a lot of cravings- so now back to healthy eating! A bday only comes once a year :)
2. Yesterday was my 6 week fitness assessment at Boot Camp & I had some great results! I cut 21 seconds off my mile time, from 8:41 to 8:20, doubled the amount of (boy) pushups I could do from 6 to 12, my wall sit time went from 1:17 to 3:04 minutes! I improved in all of the categories and it gave me a great sense of accomplishment and proof that my body is gettin stonger. Very exciting and fun on my birthday! Next Wednesday I actually get weighed & measured & body fat tested so hopefully that goes good as well!
3. My reccomendation for the week, I made this as a pre-workout snack for Julia yesterday and she loved it.
1/2 whole wheat pita toasted
1/2 serving of laughing cow lite spreadable cheese wedge
Lettuce
All for 100 calories! You just create a little sandwich and the cheese melts a little inside the toasted pita. The lettuce adds some volume and gives it a good crunch. You could also add a tomato slice or some turkey. It was a good pre-workout snack and took less than 5 min to pull together.
That's all I've got for now- I'm going to go have a healthy lunch with my sister to compensate a little for my dinner last night :) So worth it though!
Chel
1. I had a no-calorie counting bday dinner last night. It was the BEST thing ever. Chris took me to Tractor Room where they are known for gigantic portions and food that I can best describe as upscale home cooking. We started with a cheese plate- that had great cheese, bread, honeycomb (random but incredible) oh it was so good with a nice glass of wine. Then we shared a bibb salad with BACON & BLUE CHEESE in it with a great roasted tomato vinagarette. Oh and it came with an entire skillet of fresh baked corn bread with honey glazed top and butter. I only had a few bites but it was to die for. For our entree we split a filet which even splitting we weren't able to finish! Red meat was pretty much the best thing ever- I had really been having cravings. As a side dish we ordered "Acorn Squash with Bacon Maple Butter" which we both agreed was probably the BEST thing either of us had ever eaten in our lives. No exaggeration! And of course the night was topped off by what our server told us was an extra large piece of dark chocolate cheesecake (just what I needed obviously!). Sharing everything was a great call and I think I satisfied a lot of cravings- so now back to healthy eating! A bday only comes once a year :)
2. Yesterday was my 6 week fitness assessment at Boot Camp & I had some great results! I cut 21 seconds off my mile time, from 8:41 to 8:20, doubled the amount of (boy) pushups I could do from 6 to 12, my wall sit time went from 1:17 to 3:04 minutes! I improved in all of the categories and it gave me a great sense of accomplishment and proof that my body is gettin stonger. Very exciting and fun on my birthday! Next Wednesday I actually get weighed & measured & body fat tested so hopefully that goes good as well!
3. My reccomendation for the week, I made this as a pre-workout snack for Julia yesterday and she loved it.
1/2 whole wheat pita toasted
1/2 serving of laughing cow lite spreadable cheese wedge
Lettuce
All for 100 calories! You just create a little sandwich and the cheese melts a little inside the toasted pita. The lettuce adds some volume and gives it a good crunch. You could also add a tomato slice or some turkey. It was a good pre-workout snack and took less than 5 min to pull together.
That's all I've got for now- I'm going to go have a healthy lunch with my sister to compensate a little for my dinner last night :) So worth it though!
Chel
Friday, August 21, 2009
My Boyfriend Took Away My Corn Dog Bite Last Night...
And I love him for it. :) Seriously though, it got me thinking about how important it is to have a strong support system of people in your life who are aware of your goals & truly want to see you succeed. Last night we were at a concert (actually I think it was more of a "show" we are such hipsters it's redic) and I'd had a few vodka sodas and suddenly the buffet line of corn dog bites & taquitos looked AMAZING. I piled a plate full without even thinking about it and luckily I had Chris there to take it away. I totally gave him a dirty look and he said "you'll thank me in the morning" and he's right, I did.
It can be hard to be supportive of friends who diet, I think especially for girls. Prior to Boot Camp I always prefered to eat junk food or drink with other people. It somehow makes it seem okay. But when other people aren't joining in, the guilt about eating a whole bag of chips or pint of ice cream hits you immediatly and it's harder to enjoy the guilty pleasure. BUT- what I've realized is that doing something as a group (binge eating) may be fun in the moment, but the guilt always comes eventually whether it's later that night or a week later when your pants feel tight.
SO- two lessons learned. One- Avoid the guilt completely by making good decisions and having great people around you to catch you if you slip up. And Two- Don't hate on people who diet. It's something they're doing for themselves & if it's irritating you, take a moment to consider the possibility that your annoyance may be born from the subconcious knowledge that you should probably put down that corn dog bite too.
Happy Friday!
XO
Chel
It can be hard to be supportive of friends who diet, I think especially for girls. Prior to Boot Camp I always prefered to eat junk food or drink with other people. It somehow makes it seem okay. But when other people aren't joining in, the guilt about eating a whole bag of chips or pint of ice cream hits you immediatly and it's harder to enjoy the guilty pleasure. BUT- what I've realized is that doing something as a group (binge eating) may be fun in the moment, but the guilt always comes eventually whether it's later that night or a week later when your pants feel tight.
SO- two lessons learned. One- Avoid the guilt completely by making good decisions and having great people around you to catch you if you slip up. And Two- Don't hate on people who diet. It's something they're doing for themselves & if it's irritating you, take a moment to consider the possibility that your annoyance may be born from the subconcious knowledge that you should probably put down that corn dog bite too.
Happy Friday!
XO
Chel
Thursday, August 20, 2009
5 Supplements EVERYONE Should Take
A day late- but here we go on the Top 5 Supplements everyone should be taking. Keep in mind this advice comes from a holistic nutritionist Christa Orecchio ( www.thewholejourney.net) who was a guest speaker at my boot camp, so this is her qualified advice- not my own!
1. Probiotics. These should be taken away from food. These support your digestive system, skyrocket your immune system, eliminate toxins & can help with depression.
I've actually taken these before- when I was on antibiotics to help replace the good bacteria that is killed during an antibiotic treatment. The thing about depression- basically she explained that seretonin which is a chemical in the brain that regulates mood, 80% of that chemical is developed in your intestional system. SO- theory being that if the probiotics help regulate and clean that system it can function properly & lead to increased seretonin production= more happiness!
Downside? These can be fairly expensive if you are taking them every day and often have to be refrigerated.
2. Digestive Enzymes. These should be taken before you eat. These help with better absorbtion & assimilation of the food. This is especially important to be taken with "cooked" food to help your body get all the nutrients possible. Christa talked a little bit about how foods have become less and less filled with the powerful vitamens & minerals, so it is important to help your system absorb all it can. For example, to get the same amount of vitamin D (I think it was D...) from an apple today you would actually have to eat 3 apples to equal the nutrients that one apple would have filled in 1940. It's because of overfarming of soil etc... I'm not going to go into that but bottom line- digestive enzymes help & you should also purchase local produce (not from big national chains) when possible, the soil is more likely to be less treated & the produce should have more nutrients.
3. Greens Powder. This can be taken any time. This powder is a mix of different healthy "greens", kelp, wheatgrass, spirulina. This helps with body "cleanup" and cellular detox.
4. Fish Oil or Cod Liver Oil (get one that says moleculerly distilled). This regulates swelling & inflamation of the body which is great especially when you are working out. It also helps with cardiovascular health & blood sugar balance.
5. Calcium/Magnesium Blend. (Purchase it in ionized form). This should be taken at night to help rebuild your muscles. And that's all I remember :) Ok- I got a little lazy at the end of class and wasn't taking as thorough of notes!! Sorry!
So- those are her top 5 most important. I'd recommend either googling them for more info &/or talking to a doctor about how you can benefit.
I'm going to start off with the Fish Oil & the Probiotics & then start adding in others. I wanted to write more about the AMAZING & healthy dinner Chris made me last night (and I had leftovers for lunch today) but that will have to wait for another day, this post is really long!
Chel
Oh and PS. Christa was not a huge fan of regular vitamins, like One A Day formulas. She said the reason they turn your pee super yellow is because they are not being absorbed in your body, so basically they go right through you without doing much good.
1. Probiotics. These should be taken away from food. These support your digestive system, skyrocket your immune system, eliminate toxins & can help with depression.
I've actually taken these before- when I was on antibiotics to help replace the good bacteria that is killed during an antibiotic treatment. The thing about depression- basically she explained that seretonin which is a chemical in the brain that regulates mood, 80% of that chemical is developed in your intestional system. SO- theory being that if the probiotics help regulate and clean that system it can function properly & lead to increased seretonin production= more happiness!
Downside? These can be fairly expensive if you are taking them every day and often have to be refrigerated.
2. Digestive Enzymes. These should be taken before you eat. These help with better absorbtion & assimilation of the food. This is especially important to be taken with "cooked" food to help your body get all the nutrients possible. Christa talked a little bit about how foods have become less and less filled with the powerful vitamens & minerals, so it is important to help your system absorb all it can. For example, to get the same amount of vitamin D (I think it was D...) from an apple today you would actually have to eat 3 apples to equal the nutrients that one apple would have filled in 1940. It's because of overfarming of soil etc... I'm not going to go into that but bottom line- digestive enzymes help & you should also purchase local produce (not from big national chains) when possible, the soil is more likely to be less treated & the produce should have more nutrients.
3. Greens Powder. This can be taken any time. This powder is a mix of different healthy "greens", kelp, wheatgrass, spirulina. This helps with body "cleanup" and cellular detox.
4. Fish Oil or Cod Liver Oil (get one that says moleculerly distilled). This regulates swelling & inflamation of the body which is great especially when you are working out. It also helps with cardiovascular health & blood sugar balance.
5. Calcium/Magnesium Blend. (Purchase it in ionized form). This should be taken at night to help rebuild your muscles. And that's all I remember :) Ok- I got a little lazy at the end of class and wasn't taking as thorough of notes!! Sorry!
So- those are her top 5 most important. I'd recommend either googling them for more info &/or talking to a doctor about how you can benefit.
I'm going to start off with the Fish Oil & the Probiotics & then start adding in others. I wanted to write more about the AMAZING & healthy dinner Chris made me last night (and I had leftovers for lunch today) but that will have to wait for another day, this post is really long!
Chel
Oh and PS. Christa was not a huge fan of regular vitamins, like One A Day formulas. She said the reason they turn your pee super yellow is because they are not being absorbed in your body, so basically they go right through you without doing much good.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Egg White Scrambles... YUM
Egg white scrambles are my new favorite thing. I had one for dinner last night and again for lunch today! Last night I was planning on a chicken salad with leftover BBQ chicken but was just feeling BURNT OUT on salads- as occasionally happens. I wanted something satisfying and filling, so I created an amazing low-cal scramble. Recipe below- serves 1:
Take the following & put in a lightly greased skillet
1/4 cup chopped onion 15 calories
5 pieces asparagus chopped 25 calories
1/2 cup fresh spinach 5 calories
1/2 cup chopped chicken breast 100 calories
Grill these in the pan until the onions turn lightly brown on the edges. Then add:
6 tbs egg whites 50 calories
Scramble together till the eggs firm up and then add:
1 tbs goat cheese- 50 calories
And you have a fabulous chicken veggie scramble for 245 calories. I was completely filled and way more satisfied than I would have felt after a salad.
And there's lots of variations- I'm planning to experiment with different cheeses, veggies, meats, etc. With such a low cal base as egg whites, you can include lots of fun stuff and still have it be good for you!
Obviously you can eat this for breakfast, but one of my trainer's recommendations is eating lean proteins & veggies for dinner(and less carbs) which can be hard to do without always eating meat & salad- so this meal both fit the plan & mixed up my routine. Love it!
Check back tomorrow for the Top 5 Suppliments EVERYONE should be eating according to a nutrition seminar I attended this past weekend. To get a sneak peak, check out the nutritionist's website at www.thewholejourney.net.
Chel
Take the following & put in a lightly greased skillet
1/4 cup chopped onion 15 calories
5 pieces asparagus chopped 25 calories
1/2 cup fresh spinach 5 calories
1/2 cup chopped chicken breast 100 calories
Grill these in the pan until the onions turn lightly brown on the edges. Then add:
6 tbs egg whites 50 calories
Scramble together till the eggs firm up and then add:
1 tbs goat cheese- 50 calories
And you have a fabulous chicken veggie scramble for 245 calories. I was completely filled and way more satisfied than I would have felt after a salad.
And there's lots of variations- I'm planning to experiment with different cheeses, veggies, meats, etc. With such a low cal base as egg whites, you can include lots of fun stuff and still have it be good for you!
Obviously you can eat this for breakfast, but one of my trainer's recommendations is eating lean proteins & veggies for dinner(and less carbs) which can be hard to do without always eating meat & salad- so this meal both fit the plan & mixed up my routine. Love it!
Check back tomorrow for the Top 5 Suppliments EVERYONE should be eating according to a nutrition seminar I attended this past weekend. To get a sneak peak, check out the nutritionist's website at www.thewholejourney.net.
Chel
Monday, August 17, 2009
Can you be social & maintain healthy eating? (without being annoying??)
Monday again... I had such a great weekend, I just did not want it to end! Saturday an old college friend from LA came down to visit and we had a ton of fun. One of our favorite things back in the day was to have a weekend brunch at Brian's outside on the patio, complete with greasy food & lots of mimosas. If you could hear some of the things we talked about out there... :)
But- it's not exactly eating healthy and knowing I had a weigh in on Monday (it went well- lost all the NY weight plus some!) I wanted to stay semi-good, while still enjoying myself. So- instead of my usual "Bacado Omelet" (bacon, avocado, lots of cheese- YUM) I had:
-Toasted English muffin
-1 egg scrambled- no cheese
-side of salsa
-side salad with dressing on the side
-3 mimosas (They are the BEST in San Diego & well worth it)
And was totally satisfied. That night we went to the Charger game and I skipped drinking there and packed a healthy snack of some Mary's crackers to munch on instead of nachos.
The next day I stuck to a similar plan- Chris & I went to the Del Mar horse races with a big group of people & I brought some diet sodas & some healthy snacks: lite cheese, triscuits & grapes. I avoided the brownie cookies, chips & margaritas that looked amazing- BUT the main point was I still had a great time. So many social occasions are built around food- it has been a good wake up call for me to realize that you can still have a FUN life and do FUN things without eating & drinking like crazy.
We also ran the 5k yesterday! I am sad to say I did NOT meet my goal of being under 30 minutes- but I'm not going to beat myself up about it too bad- my time was 30:01! Seriously! So I shaved about 40 seconds off my time from last year. Chris did AMAZING and managed to cut 3 whole minutes off and finish in 26:20. He is such a speedster :)
Such a great weekend, although now I feel like I need another weekend to recover from it! I also did some good grocery shopping and have some great meal ideas planned for this week which I'll be sharing soon!
Chel
Oh and PS. Some of my clothes are starting to get a little baggy. Very exciting!!
But- it's not exactly eating healthy and knowing I had a weigh in on Monday (it went well- lost all the NY weight plus some!) I wanted to stay semi-good, while still enjoying myself. So- instead of my usual "Bacado Omelet" (bacon, avocado, lots of cheese- YUM) I had:
-Toasted English muffin
-1 egg scrambled- no cheese
-side of salsa
-side salad with dressing on the side
-3 mimosas (They are the BEST in San Diego & well worth it)
And was totally satisfied. That night we went to the Charger game and I skipped drinking there and packed a healthy snack of some Mary's crackers to munch on instead of nachos.
The next day I stuck to a similar plan- Chris & I went to the Del Mar horse races with a big group of people & I brought some diet sodas & some healthy snacks: lite cheese, triscuits & grapes. I avoided the brownie cookies, chips & margaritas that looked amazing- BUT the main point was I still had a great time. So many social occasions are built around food- it has been a good wake up call for me to realize that you can still have a FUN life and do FUN things without eating & drinking like crazy.
We also ran the 5k yesterday! I am sad to say I did NOT meet my goal of being under 30 minutes- but I'm not going to beat myself up about it too bad- my time was 30:01! Seriously! So I shaved about 40 seconds off my time from last year. Chris did AMAZING and managed to cut 3 whole minutes off and finish in 26:20. He is such a speedster :)
Such a great weekend, although now I feel like I need another weekend to recover from it! I also did some good grocery shopping and have some great meal ideas planned for this week which I'll be sharing soon!
Chel
Oh and PS. Some of my clothes are starting to get a little baggy. Very exciting!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Bread Bowls, Runs & Healthy Mexican
Warning- this post is a little random (could you tell from the title?) what can I say, it has been a long week! TGIF (shoutout Kurd)
I was horrified yesterday when I got the mail. There was an insert promoting Domino's new Bread Bowl Pasta. Could there possibly be anything worse for you? Choose from chicken alfredo, mac & cheese, carbonera... all in a pizza dough bread bowl! But that wasn't even all- the offer on the insert was buy a Bread Bowl Pasta (ranging from 1400-1600 calories- more than I can eat a day) and get a free Chocolate Lava Crunch Cake!! Each crunch cake has 357 calories, but don't worry- and order includes 2 of them! So- were you to eat it all (for the low price of $5.99) you could potentially be eating 2,300 calories in one meal. WOW. And people wonder why American's are getting fatter? Seriously!
So- this weekend is America's Finest City 5k run in Balboa park. I'm excited and hopeful to beat my time from last year. I would really love to beat Chris- but not sure that's going to happen just quite yet :) I'm a little nervous because I haven't really been running lately outside of bootcamp. In class we run about 2 miles (and a 5k is 3.2) but I think I should be okay because I'm doing a ton of cardio & my legs are definitely stronger! Races are really fun- the first one I ever did was this same race last year and really got hooked. It's such a fun environment & a great way to motivate yourself to keep working out when you know you've got a race coming up. We actually have another one- 4 miles next weekend but I think that will be more of a fun run, it's on the beach from La Jolla to PB & ends in a beer garden. :)
I'll leave you with a recipe which I'm thinking about making tonight "healthy mexican tacos/tostadas" it's pretty easy & really good.
Corn tortillas
Ground Turkey
Mexican seasoning package
Black Beans
Lettuce
Chopped Tomatoes
Cilantro
Lime
Salsa
Plain non fat greek yogurt (use in place of sour cream)
Lite Cheese
So basically you prepare the turkey in a pan just like you would ground beef, and add the seasoning. Then heat the beans & toss the tortillas on the grill for a minute to soften and then add all the great toppings and enjoy!
Have a great weekend!!
Chel
I was horrified yesterday when I got the mail. There was an insert promoting Domino's new Bread Bowl Pasta. Could there possibly be anything worse for you? Choose from chicken alfredo, mac & cheese, carbonera... all in a pizza dough bread bowl! But that wasn't even all- the offer on the insert was buy a Bread Bowl Pasta (ranging from 1400-1600 calories- more than I can eat a day) and get a free Chocolate Lava Crunch Cake!! Each crunch cake has 357 calories, but don't worry- and order includes 2 of them! So- were you to eat it all (for the low price of $5.99) you could potentially be eating 2,300 calories in one meal. WOW. And people wonder why American's are getting fatter? Seriously!
So- this weekend is America's Finest City 5k run in Balboa park. I'm excited and hopeful to beat my time from last year. I would really love to beat Chris- but not sure that's going to happen just quite yet :) I'm a little nervous because I haven't really been running lately outside of bootcamp. In class we run about 2 miles (and a 5k is 3.2) but I think I should be okay because I'm doing a ton of cardio & my legs are definitely stronger! Races are really fun- the first one I ever did was this same race last year and really got hooked. It's such a fun environment & a great way to motivate yourself to keep working out when you know you've got a race coming up. We actually have another one- 4 miles next weekend but I think that will be more of a fun run, it's on the beach from La Jolla to PB & ends in a beer garden. :)
I'll leave you with a recipe which I'm thinking about making tonight "healthy mexican tacos/tostadas" it's pretty easy & really good.
Corn tortillas
Ground Turkey
Mexican seasoning package
Black Beans
Lettuce
Chopped Tomatoes
Cilantro
Lime
Salsa
Plain non fat greek yogurt (use in place of sour cream)
Lite Cheese
So basically you prepare the turkey in a pan just like you would ground beef, and add the seasoning. Then heat the beans & toss the tortillas on the grill for a minute to soften and then add all the great toppings and enjoy!
Have a great weekend!!
Chel
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